No Government takeover for Douglas Horse Tramway

Posted on Friday 22 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

As the fallout from the decision last night of Douglas Borough Council to axe the horse tram service with immediate effect continues one hope of enthusiasts has been dashed with the Manx Government confirming they currently have no plans to take control of operating the line along the Promenade. Indeed the Department of Infrastructure have even confirmed that they will be pressing ahead with their plans for the reconstruction of the Promenade – just leaving out the installation of tram tracks.

Continue reading →

Posted in Douglas Bay Horse Tramway | 11 Comments

Heaton Park reveal 2015 operating statistics

Posted on Friday 22 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

The Heaton Park Tramway – the UK’s only truly preserved tramway – have announced their operating statistics for 2015 which saw 5,7000 passengers carried on the half mile running line from the Middleton Road gates to Lakeside.

Continue reading →

Posted in Heaton Park Tramway | Comments Off on Heaton Park reveal 2015 operating statistics

Let it snow! The white stuff hits Metrolink

Posted on Friday 22 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

The first snowfall of the winter arrived in time for some picturesque shots of Manchester Metrolink on Sunday 17th January. Although only a light dusting fell on Greater Manchester causing no real issues for Metrolink services Steve Kemp was out and about with his camera capturing the action shown in this pictorial special…

Continue reading →

Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 4 Comments

More controversy as Edinburgh Trams inquiry bill reaches £2 million

Posted on Friday 22 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

There have been calls from politicians for the Edinburgh Trams inquiry to be scrapped following news that £2.1 million has already been spent on the inquiry – even before a single witness has been called in front of Lord Hardie. The Inquiry was called to get to the bottom of why the Edinburgh Trams project went so far over budget and was severely delayed but despite the fact it started in June 2014 there is still a long way to go before lessons can be learnt.

Continue reading →

Posted in Edinburgh Trams | 3 Comments

Car hits tram in Oldham

Posted on Friday 22 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

Manchester Metrolink services were suspended between Oldham Mumps and Newton Heath and Moston for just over an hour on Wednesday 20th January following a collision between a car and a tram on West Street in Oldham. The car struck 3011 at approximately 1130 causing significant damage to the side of the tram but fortunately there were no serious injuries in either the car or the tram. Trams ran between Rochdale Town Centre and Oldham Mumps and from Newton Heath and Moston to Ashton-under-Lyne during the incident. The scene was cleared by 1245 after which normal services started to resume.

Posted in Manchester Metrolink | Comments Off on Car hits tram in Oldham

Edinburgh Trams to offer ScotRail passengers during disruption

Posted on Friday 22 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

Edinburgh Trams have come to an agreement with ScotRail which will mean at times of disruption on the rail network ticket holders will be able to travel on the tram network free of charge. The tram currently serves the stations at Edinburgh Waverley (St Andrew Square is just a short walk away), Haymarket and Edinburgh Park with the new Edinburgh Gateway interchange to follow at the end of 2016.

Continue reading →

Posted in Edinburgh Trams | Comments Off on Edinburgh Trams to offer ScotRail passengers during disruption

Smartcards launched on Midland Metro

Posted on Friday 22 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

You can now pay to travel on Midland Metro services using the new Swift Pay As You Go card. The smartcard is cheaper way to buy day tickets and single fares and can be used just the same as cash by handing it over to the onboard conductor and telling them which ticket they want.

Continue reading →

Posted in West Midlands Metro | Comments Off on Smartcards launched on Midland Metro

Douglas Horse Tramway to close

Posted on Friday 22 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

In a shock announcement Douglas Borough Council have revealed that the Douglas Horse Tramway is to close with immediate effect due to “the increased financial burden on Douglas ratepayers”. The project to merge the horse stables and tramway depot into one building seems to have been the final straw which caused the decision with Councillors deciding it was not a viable idea.

Continue reading →

Posted in Douglas Bay Horse Tramway | 46 Comments

New name for a heritage tram stop

Posted on Thursday 21 January 2016 by Andrew Waddington

Many readers have probably noticed that for much of 2015, literature regarding the heritage tram operation in Blackpool referred to the North Pier heritage tram stop as North Pier/Tower (or vice versa). This was due to the actual stop being positioned outside the Festival House wedding chapel, which is between the two prominent promenade landmarks.

Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 9 Comments

Winter warmers(?) for Blackpool’s first heritage days of 2016!

Posted on Thursday 21 January 2016 by Andrew Waddington

Only a few weeks have passed since the last trams ran back to Blackpool’s Rigby Road depot after the 2015 Santa Specials, but already plans are in place for the first heritage tram running days of 2016. As reported previously, as an experiment two winter weekends will see a premium heritage service operate and this kicks off on the weekend of 30th & 31st January, with six trams due to run on both days.

Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 3 Comments

Picture in Time: Blackpool Ex-Towing Railcoach 678

Posted on Wednesday 20 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

The subject of the latest edition of Picture in Time is one of three Twin Motor Cars which were never permanently coupled to their trailers – 678.

Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway, Picture in Time | Comments Off on Picture in Time: Blackpool Ex-Towing Railcoach 678

And the winners are

Posted on Sunday 17 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

After seven weeks of voting the results are in for the British Trams Online Tram of the Year 2015 contest although to be honest contest was hardly the word with the outcome pretty certain from the first week of voting back in December. All four awards are heading back to the north west of England with Blackpool once again being recognised by enthusiasts in two categories with Manchester Metrolink’s M5000 3100 winning Tramcar (Modern) of the Year whilst Liverpool 245 won the main award as Tramcar (Traditional) of the Year.

Continue reading →

Posted in Tram of the Year | 3 Comments

This week on British Trams Online

Posted on Sunday 17 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

We don’t have a huge amount for you this week but we have had a little bit of a tidy up of the site…

Continue reading →

Posted in Site News | Comments Off on This week on British Trams Online

Picture in Time: Croydon Tramlink 2530

Posted on Sunday 17 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

The very first tram delivered for Croydon Tramlink is the latest to feature in our archive series “Picture in Time” with a view of 2530 during the testing process during August 1999.

Continue reading →

Posted in London Trams, Picture in Time | Comments Off on Picture in Time: Croydon Tramlink 2530

Lytham 43 is Blackpool-bound!

Posted on Saturday 16 January 2016 by Andrew Waddington

2016 is just a few weeks old but already there is some very exciting news from the Blackpool Heritage Trust about a new addition to their collection of historic tramcars. As reported last year, the owner of Lytham 43 has agreed for the tram to move to Blackpool to join the heritage fleet after completion of its restoration, and it can now be confirmed that the lower saloon will be moving later this month!

Continue reading →

Posted in Blackpool Tramway | 5 Comments

Cars drive onto Metrolink tracks four times in a week

Posted on Friday 15 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

It is silly season in Manchester with four cars driving onto Metrolink tracks on various parts of the network in the past week causing disruption and leading to the almost unprecedented step of Transport for Greater Manchester releasing a statement urging motorists to be careful when driving.

Continue reading →

Posted in Manchester Metrolink | 13 Comments

Picture in Time: Douglas 27

Posted on Wednesday 13 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

As we featured the Santa Specials on the Douglas Horse Tramway yesterday evening it seems rather apt from today’s Picture in Time image comes from that very tramway with a view of regular wet weather tram no. 27 on 26th August 1992.

Continue reading →

Posted in Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, Picture in Time | 1 Comment

Change in colours on two tramways

Posted on Tuesday 12 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

2016 has started with a change in livery for two trams at different ends of the country with the removal of advertising vinyls in Croydon but in Manchester it is the application of a full vinyl wrap livery which is certain to provide the biggest talking point.

Continue reading →

Posted in London Trams, Manchester Metrolink | 11 Comments

Douglas Horse Tramway prepares for 140th anniversary

Posted on Tuesday 12 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

2016 marks the 140th anniversary of the Douglas Horse Tramway with preparations already underway to suitability celebrate this key anniversary – and despite doubts over the past few years it has been confirmed that a horse tram service will continue to run along the promenade between May and September. The official announcement that the horse trams would be back in 2016 was confirmed over the last weekend before Christmas which also saw the return of the very popular Santa Trams which ran to full capacity on both days.

Continue reading →

Posted in Douglas Bay Horse Tramway | Comments Off on Douglas Horse Tramway prepares for 140th anniversary

Volks Electric Railway is in the way – apparently

Posted on Tuesday 12 January 2016 by Gareth Prior

It has been running along Brighton seafront since 1883 and has become a major tourist attraction in its own right but according to a “leading architect” the Volks Electric Railway is “in the way” and needs to be moved to allow for the major regeneration of the sea front. The claims were made by Nick Lomax ahead of a public meeting into the future of Brighton and Hove’s seafront as a whole.

Continue reading →

Posted in Volk's Electric Railway | 5 Comments